Gavin A..... 100% Respect to You

[Paul.M]

Ok Gavin you had this mad idea of building a school in the worst refugee camp in France. It has worked my friend.



That is just the bare bones of construction btw.

We turned the above into this:-



We have built it and the children have come!


Hanging up finger paintings on our structure!!! WOW, now that is how you make a positive difference to a someones life.





Gav, the school is going from strength to strength. This was your crazy idea, it worked. Hats off to you Sir and all who was involved in it.


End of the day you can only say this:- Children living in sh!t now have a place to go for education and may be led away from any extreme thoughts???? "Children are the future, teach them well and let them lead the way."

Well done Gavin.

 

[Guest77]

Paul did you build that mate? if so can we have some more info, it looks like a wonderful project, who was involved, when did you do it, what was the time line etc.

 

[Paul.M]

Paul did you build that mate? if so can we have some more info, it looks like a wonderful project, who was involved, when did you do it, what was the time line etc.

erm.... a strange sequence of events accumulated for this to happen. It's just another showing of how people on the web can make positive difference to children's lives.

Gavin saw a Facebook appeal.

Gavin then saw it best to take things in his own hands (thank God he did).

He asked on this forum for help.

We went over with our own money, our own materials, our own tools and was given this to start with....



Just a bit of land. Made it into this:-







Sorry the last picture is in the dark, that is when we finished work. Not the best place to be well after dark fall in the Jungle, but.... the job needed to be completed.

Whilst there we got our first student.



Lost most of her family due to conflict in the country she came from. Now has a building where she can learn. (and yes that is me after a few days of seeing how desperate people live!)

Her name is Mandy. I wish you all the best my luv, hope that the school pushes you towards a better life. Your the first of many to come. Shine a light for others, show them the path that others have built.

 

[Guest77]

WOW, Absolutely fantasic paul, well done and Gavin, well done Gavin, amazing.

 

[Englishman]

Full respect for doing that lads, you're better men than me.

I would like to make a small point in your description though, because the Jungle is not a refugee camp, it's an economic migrant camp. All of the residents have travelled through numerous safe countries to get there, and are planning on leaving France, another safe country, to come here.

 

[Paul.M]

Full respect for doing that lads, you're better men than me.

I would like to make a small point in your description though, because the Jungle is not a refugee camp, it's an economic migrant camp.

What newspaper have you got your thoughts from? Make your own mind up from the things you actually see.

All of the residents have travelled through numerous safe countries to get there, and are planning on leaving France, another safe country, to come here.

Not really true...... Most of the countries they have traveled through have the type of leadership they are trying to get away from!!!! Yes a few are trying to get into England, saw this myself on the front line so to say. I do not want illegal immigrants into our county BUT lets be human about people 26 miles away from the UK living in ----!!! It is that bad.

I'm going back in February. Any forum member that wants to come along can do? Just bring a backbone of steel and an open mind.

 

[andyb]

Full respect for doing that lads, you're better men than me.

I would like to make a small point in your description though, because the Jungle is not a refugee camp, it's an economic migrant camp. All of the residents have travelled through numerous safe countries to get there, and are planning on leaving France, another safe country, to come here.

So you see an economic migrant here?

That's fair enough but most of us see a vulnerable child in need of help.
We're lucky to have people like Paul and his friends.

 

[Englishman]

Well it's true, like it or not.

Whether or not these people are from the Middle East or Africa (I think most are from Africa), they have passed through numerous safe countries. I'm not making a blanket statement because I dislike the people, I actually pity them enormously, but they have chosen to continue their journeys to Northern France because they desire the UK. Whether or not they dislike the way most European countries are run, and how welcome they are made to feel there is irrelevant when it comes to the term which they are referred to, and they cannot be called refugees because they're not. They certainly were, but they're not while they're in France.

I have nothing against the people who try and better theirs, and their family's lives, I just think that terming them as refugees is wrong.

 

[Paul.M]

Anyone's point of view via their own political opinion can start a thread in the political section. We are talking about a school that has been built that is helping kids with sweet F-all in a sh!t storm of a camp.

If anyone wants to help out, PM me. All you need is a backbone made of steel, a heart made of gold and hand tools.

 

[Kamikaze]

You do know that they will have knocked the school down by now and used it as firewood.

 

[Marvo]

Please keep the politics debate in the appropriate forum rather than hijacking this thread for a soapbox.

 

[GMES]

As above what Paul and Gavin have done is commendable and doesn't need turning into a political discussion, well done lads for giving your time and knowledge totally free of charge.

 

[Richard Burns]

Nice one Gavin and Paul, good work and good effort.

 

[egg67]

Nice one Paul M, your a bigger , better and kinder man than me what going on in Feb ?

 

[Barry White]

Weldone Gavin and Paul politics aside the children needed a school and you made it happen. Looked like hard work but rewarding work too.